Gratitude

Remembering Don Carew

/ Ken Blanchard

On January 28, 2025, I lost one of my dearest friends and colleagues, Don Carew. Not only was Don one of the original founding associates of our company, but he was also a very special human being. More than anyone I have ever met, Don Carew embodied kindness.

I first met Don at the University of Ohio in 1966, where he was teaching courses in human relations, and I was teaching business leadership. Don introduced himself to me on the sidewalk in front of the student union building, and we became instant friends. I loved Don’s gentle spirit and welcoming personality. We also shared a passion for making a positive difference in people’s lives through leadership. It wasn’t long before Don and his first wife, Jody, became an integral part of my wife Margie’s and my social circle.

Don had profound empathy for others and was a passionate supporter of civil rights and social justice. Back in 1963, he took a group of his students to the March on Washington, D.C., where they heard Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. deliver his historic “I Have a Dream” speech.

It was Don who urged Margie and me to join him at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1970, where he had relocated and become an enormously popular professor. During the years we taught together at UMass, Don and I forged a deep friendship. We led weekend classes together. Don would share his expertise in working with teams and groups, while I would focus on a situational approach to leadership. Eventually we began consulting with external groups.

Margie and I left Amherst and relocated to San Diego in 1976 for a one-year sabbatical that turned into a permanent move. But I continued to teach weekend courses with Don several times a year at the University of Massachusetts.

After Margie and I launched our company in 1979, Don joined us as an associate. He had the intellect to work effectively with the C suite as well as the empathy and respect to connect with frontline workers as they transformed their cultures. I had a wonderful time collaborating with Don and Eunice Parisi-Carew on our bestselling book, The One Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams. Don’s and Eunice’s expertise in teams and group development was a key factor in our decision to change the original Hersey-Blanchard model and develop SLII®.

I will miss Don’s warm voice and loving presence. His spirit of integrity and inclusiveness lives on in our culture at Blanchard and for that, I am grateful.

Let Your Team Know You Appreciate Them

/ Ken Blanchard

Working in teams is more common—and more crucial to organizational success—than it’s ever been. At our company, we define a team as two or more persons who come together for a common purpose and who are mutually accountable for results.

No matter whether teammates are face to face, virtual, or some mixture of the two, members of a high-performance team have the following mindsets in common:

  • They require clarity in communication above all else.
  • They thrive on trust among members and leaders.
  • They aren’t afraid of conflict because they know it is necessary for growth.
  • Ultimately, a high-performance team essentially leads itself.

If you have ever been part of a high-performance team, you know what a fulfilling experience it can be. Just for the fun of it, I referenced Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust—my new book coauthored by Randy Conley­—and found that the benefits of leading or working with a great team are featured in two of our Simple Truths.

SIMPLE TRUTH #19: “No one of us is as smart as all of us.”—Eunice Parisi-Carew and Don Carew

Servant leaders realize leadership is about working alongside their people, sharing information and keeping lines of communication open. When that happens, people get to know each other’s strengths and build on them to help their team perform at the highest level.

SIMPLE TRUTH #36: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” —Maya Angelou

As a trusted servant leader, when you establish a sincere, caring environment through your words and actions, you can be assured people on your team will always remember you for the way you made them feel.

To make these commonsense truths common practice:

  • Show your teammates you care through friendly camaraderie and acts of kindness.
  • Ask for help from one another when making decisions or trying to find solutions to problems.
  • Encourage your teammates to catch each other doing things right and praise progress. People never tire of being told they’re doing a good job. It’s good for motivation, morale, and momentum.

I have been a member of a fabulous team for the past three months—the folks who are working together on marketing and promotion for Simple Truths of Leadership. Our team fits the definition of having a common purpose and being accountable for results, and we all share the four mindsets I mentioned above. Each person is a self-directed achiever with special skills and unique talents. What a joy it is to be part of this team!

So please allow me to take this opportunity to thank the extraordinary Simple Truths marketing and promotion team. First, our internal team at Blanchard:

  • Marketing leads: Randy Conley, David Witt, Vicki Stanford, Debbie Blanchard
  • Media Team (videos, podcasts, blog posts, articles): Michael Bowles, Adrian Henke, Chad Gordon, Renee Broadwell, Lisa Boyle, Evelyn De La Garza, Cheryl Horton, Richard Andrews, Mike Ortmeier
  • Social Media Team: Stefanie Hincks, Martha Lawrence, Andrew Broschart, Kayla Ratz, Madeleine Blanchard, Sidney Hernandez

Second, our external team—our publisher and promotional partners:

So here’s a big shout out to all my teammates for your hard work these past months getting our book and its important message out to into the world! Each of you has made such a positive difference. Thank you so much.

Whether you are a team member among peers or a team leader leading direct reports, it’s important to let others on your team know you appreciate them. So don’t forget to show appreciation to the folks you work with. It only takes a minute to give people a much-needed boost—and it will make you feel good, too.

A Message from an Associate

/ Ken Blanchard

On my 80th birthday this month, I left the company a morning email message—as I’ve done almost every day for more than 20 years—sharing my thoughts about entering my ninth decade.

Some people have asked me if it’s a burden to come up with a morning message every day. It really isn’t, because it keeps me thinking about learnings I can share and how I can help people. And when I get a message like the one below from our associate, Sarah Caverhill, it’s all worth it.

Dear Ken,

What a wonderful morning message! Your life has given so much to the world and you still have so much to give.  I am amazed at how much positive impact we create for others and how many lives we touch, directly and indirectly.  Every person who participates in one of our courses impacts all the people they lead, and they in turn impact the people they touch.  Such a virtuous cycle!

I believe we are put on paths for a reason and I want you to know how much I value the experience I have had with Blanchard.  I have learned so much from you and you probably don’t realize that. I didn’t grow up with happy parents, although they were good people who had a strong work ethic and valued education. I do appreciate what they taught me. But happiness, joy, and celebration were not part of our household. Then God steered me onto a different path, and I came to Blanchard over 23 years ago. I had so much to learn! I can’t tell you how much your mentoring through morning messages has meant through the years. Here are some of the great things I’ve learned from you.

  1. I’ve learned the value of celebration. Growing up, my family didn’t celebrate much. You have helped me turn my own family into a loving, celebratory, supportive one. I actually taught my parents how to celebrate and appreciate all that life has to offer. In fact, we had a big celebration last month to honor my dad’s 90th birthday!

 

  1. I’ve learned the importance of keeping “I love you’s” up to date.  After we reached adulthood my parents rarely said “I love you” to us. In fact, I can’t think of a single time from teenager-dom on. But after I joined Blanchard, I started saying it every time I talked to them. It was awkward at first because they weren’t used to it. But over time they caught on and it’s now a part of our daily conversations. I recently lost my mother and I’m so grateful that you taught me to keep my “I love you’s” up to date! I know she knew how much I loved her, and I know how much she loved me.  That simple statement put a lot of joy into her later years. And nowadays my dad gets a big grin on his face whenever he sees me and tells me he loves me.  WOW! Who would’ve thought?

 

  1. I also learned from you that life is a very special occasion and not to take it for granted. I focus on showing up well every day that I can!  I don’t want to miss a thing and I want every moment to count. I spend time with my friends and loved ones and cherish every moment. And that includes a lot of Blanchard friends I’ve made over the years. It really is great to work with such talented, loving people.

 

I know there are a lot of other things, but those are my top three.  So, keep on doing what you do so well. We are all blessed to be here celebrating with you, even if virtually!  You will never know exactly how many lives you’ve touched because it’s impossible to count that high. Your legacy is one of love, caring, and respect for all.  You should run for President!

Love to you and Margie as you celebrate,

Sarah

Thank you, Sarah. By sending me this message, you put into action another of my favorite learnings: Catching people doing things right!

Unforgettable Herb Kelleher

/ Ken Blanchard / 1 Comment

Last Thursday, we lost probably the finest corporate leader I have known in my leadership development career: Herb Kelleher, cofounder and longtime CEO and president of Southwest Airlines. Not only was Herb the visionary who created the model for a low-fare, customer-first airline, he believed every executive is only as good as his or her people. And he walked his talk. More than anybody I’ve ever worked with, Herb Kelleher lived and breathed the philosophy that the number one customer of any organization is its people.

I first met Herb through Southwest’s president emeritus, Colleen Barrett. When Colleen ordered 30,000 copies of the book I coauthored with Barbara Glanz called The Simple Truths of Service: Inspired by Johnny the Bagger, I was so blown away by the size of the order that I flew to Dallas to meet her. Because Colleen and Herb had worked together since 1967 nurturing and grooming Southwest Airlines into one of the most admired companies in the world, meeting Colleen’s mentor and teammate was a foregone conclusion. From the moment I met him, I loved Herb’s big smile, tremendous sense of humor, and ability to bring insight and laughter to any situation.

I could tell many tales about my fun times with Herb, but my favorite story happened just after he had recorded his foreword for the audio version of Colleen’s and my coauthored book Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success.

“Let’s go get a drink!” said Herb. He was always ready to do that. We went back to my hotel where my wife, Margie, would be meeting me later so we could go to dinner with the board of directors for Halftime, a faith-based ministry founded by the late Bob Buford. (Margie still serves on the Halftime board.)

At the hotel bar, Herb and I started drinking sidecars, one of his favorite drinks, made up of three ingredients: Cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. By the time Margie arrived, let’s just say Herb and I were feeling no pain. Margie could easily tell I was not in any shape to go to dinner with a bunch of faith-based folks. When she began to give Herb a One Minute Reprimand, he held up his hands in surrender, saying, “Margie, this was all Ken’s idea! I’m usually a teetotaler!” We all had a good laugh about that.

Margie said, “Okay, Ken, you can come to dinner—just don’t say anything.”

Herb, now getting into the absurdity of the situation, said, “That would be something to see!”

So I went to the dinner. The seating was organized in a circle. When the waiter came around to take our appetizer order, I whispered, “I notice you have chocolate cake à la mode. Bring me that for my appetizer.” When the waiter put the cake in front of me, all conversation around the table stopped and all attention was focused on me and my appetizer/dessert. The cat was out of the bag—I was plastered.

When I called Herb the next day and told him what had happened, he roared. Suffice to say it cost me a lot of backrubs over the next few weeks to get Margie’s full forgiveness. After that incident, every time Margie and I saw Herb, the first thing out of his mouth was “Margie, that was not my fault!” and then we’d all laugh.

I’ll miss Herb—and not just because of the fun, fabulous human being he was. Herb taught me a lot about what it takes to be a pioneer, a maverick, an innovator, and a fabulous motivator of people. To Herb, the “business of business” was people.

A lot of folks are going to miss you, Herb, including the many thousands of employees of Southwest Airlines. You were the best in the business. Rest in peace and God bless.

Taking Care of Each Other

/ Ken Blanchard

My prayers and love go out to all of the folks whose lives have been impacted by the terrible fires in Northern and Southern California. Special prayers go out to families and friends of people who have perished in these fires. Times like this emphasize how much we need to care about each other and live every moment to the fullest—because we never know what’s around the corner.

Margie and I know what it’s like to have a home destroyed by fire: in 2007 we lost our house of 25 years in the Witch fire here in San Diego. We were out of town when it happened. When we were finally allowed back in our neighborhood, we walked down our driveway and our whole place looked like it had been cremated, including our cars. We were fortunate—although losing our house and all of our possessions was devastating, nobody got hurt.

Special praisings go out to the selfless firefighters who have come from all over to put their lives on the line as they battle the fires. Without them, the devastation could be so much worse. Many thanks as well to other courageous first responders including police and EMTs, as well as volunteers staffing the shelters that have been set up for displaced people, pets, and livestock. We are blessed to have these amazing servant leaders aiding our communities during this tough time.

Please take care of yourselves and those you love—and always keep your “I love yous” up to date!